I was thinking of telling the story of my long friendship with talented creative Ruth Sergel via a timeline of our lives. It’s been two decades, though, and during the most productive time of my life. Too many wonderful memories to mention. So I think I’ll just share my gratitude.
Thank you to our delightful friend, pioneering film critic and festival founder Kathleen Carroll for saying to me 20 years ago, “You have to meet my friend Ruth Sergel. You both are so alike.” I never questioned Kathleen, “How so?” but at the time Ruth and I both had films on the festival circuit. So I attended Ruth’s screening at our old New York haunt Anthology Film Archives and saw a beautifully moving film Cusp that unveiled the drama of being an adolescent. My film on adolescents and adults reliving their teenage dreams through double Dutch jumprope was touring at the same time. But when the Cusp filmmaker stood up to do her Q&A I had to laugh about our resemblance to each other in Kathleen’s eyes. But hey, we went for coffee, got to know each other and though we didn’t travel in the same circles, formed a bond. It was effortless.
Which came next? My short film shoot or hers? It didn’t matter. She was there for me in a huge way and I was there for her. As you’ll be able to tell in Ruth’s work she grew up professionally in the camera department. She was also reared by award-winning photographer Nathan Farb whom I also call my friend.
Ruth Sergel and Nicole Franklin on the set of Harlem Sistas Double Dutch
Yet even though Ruth and I had our debut directing experiences behind us, when it was time for her short, BELLE, there were plenty of nerves. Why? Oh, we were working with a cast of 80+ year-old women led by the incredible and brave Ethel Greenbaum and it rained on us the weekend for our shoot on the beach. Back in the day many indie filmmakers remember we could rent our truckload of 35mm equipment for a one-day price on a four-day weekend. We made our indoor scenes happen, but then we had to keep our fingers crossed on many fronts and wait till Labor Day weekend to resume. This was a Ruth Sergel film. There were plenty of parties and gatherings to bond with the ladies and check in on them. One of the loveliest summers I’ll always remember.
Did I mention our star had to appear completely in the nude for a scene in the film? That part. That’s the magic of working with Ruth Sergel. She can make you believe in yourself and all of your gifts. And she had a crew of us to uphold her vision. This is not an erotic story. Ruth refers to BELLE as a “subversive fable of old age & beauty.” Ripped from the daily adventure of the life of a senior—a day trip to the market can be filled with unseen adventures. The subtleties that made this story one to watch garnered a TriBeCa Film Festival premiere. Ruth and her team deserved it. We continue to this day to bow down to Ethel, our heroine. I revel in the friendships we made with these women who were not professional actors but were the blue blood workers, unionizers and activists who made New York City the great force that it is—the New York to which I relocated to be a part of the world they helped build, just by believing in the humanity all of us should savor.
I could go on and on. But know that Ruth’s talents have led her into brand new areas integrating technology and AI in the life she now leads in Berlin. I continue to be inspired by her and my colleagues in the States and know that my evolving into new platforms is part of my DnA. Just like Ruth. Thank you, Ruth, for joining me in my first-time out as an Artistic Director. Whenever you need me next, I’ll see you in Berlin!
Watch BELLE and much more adventurous cinema as part of our Indie Fuxion Film Showcase, Nov 15 - Dec 15 on GFNTV! Click here to RSVP. Happy Streaming!
BELLE by filmmaker Ruth Sergel